


Two FBI-CIA Guys

by Quinis



Category: Chuck - Fandom, White Collar
Genre: Chuck is FBI, Gen, Neal is Bryce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-03-18 10:51:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3566924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Burbank. One casual FBI agent is looking to tell his wife about his job. Another FBI agent is visiting from New York with his CI to present on handler-CI relationships. They meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: So a new Chuck, White Collar Crossover. This one is a little different to the rest. For one thing, it takes place in Burbank (I don't think any of my stories start in Burbank and there are no plans for the setting to shift to New York). The idea for this one came when one of the TV stations played Big Momma's house 2 and I happened to walk in to a scene with Zachary Levi sitting in a FBI van. That gave me the idea for this one (some suspension of belief might be needed).
> 
> >This came up on Fanfiction.net first because it took me one and a half hours to get posted there and the New Work page here wasn't loading due to slow connection. I tried for longer than I should of. (Also, it turns out my brother's phone can connect to my laptop and give internet, which is the only reason I'm not crying over the prospect of updating over the next week - Internet bandwidth resets around the 23rd, I think).  
> So, a shout out to the guy who made this chapter post-able: [ 00stevo](http://00stevo.deviantart.com)

 

**First Part**

* * *

Chuck has no idea how it happened. Hard work and a few good recommendations earned him a good job after he had been kicked out of Stanford.

Then Morgan called in a favour. Chuck returned to the Buy More. Bryce sent him the Intersect and the NSA and CIA followed.

Chuck took some vacation leave from his good job working for the FBI. He told them that the CIA and NSA were watching him because an old friend sent him government secrets.

His FBI boss didn't want to lose him so Chuck, Kevin to those in the office so the CIA didn't catch on, took up a casual position where he was both a CI and an extra agent when they needed one.

* * *

Chuck had combed his hair back and grabbed the cheap suit from Morgan's closet, all for this trip to the California branch of the FBI.

"Kevin! My man!" an agent shorter than him greeted with open arms. Chuck had known him since the agent's time as a probie and they had worked together often.

He wasn't usually this friendly, that was how Chuck acted.

"What do you want?" Chuck asked suspiciously.

The agent smirked but didn't back down.

"Interested in a stake out? You get to sit in the van?"

Another agent snorted from her desk.

"Nothing exciting ever happens in the van," she grumbled.

"You're just mad because the last person who you did van duty with wouldn't let you bring stuff."

"I like chips with my stakeout. What kind of monster doesn't allow chips?"

Chuck had no idea how to respond to that. It was too bad they didn't know Casey. Casey wasn't a fan of food near the van console either.

The agent laughed and then turned to look hopefully at Chuck.

"I don't know, man," Chuck responded with a roll of his shoulders. "Last time you guys put me in a van, it was disguised as a mobile dog washers. People kept leaving their dogs with us." Not to mention the little hacker he had been babysitting. That kid had a lot to learn if he didn't want to end up on someone's bad list.

"Ha! I heard about that! Awesome story. But, come on. You. Me. Some Chinese take-out. And criminals to watch!"

"Stalk," the agent at the desk corrected.

"You're just saying that because the guy on the fourth floor used FBI resources to learn about you."

"It was stalking. And creepy."

"And you've never misappropriated FBI assets before?" the agent snapped back. It was a rhetorical question and he didn't wait for an answer before pulling Chuck away.

"I'm here for another reason," Chuck said. His statement was met with a dropped eyebrow and a frown.

"You've changed these past few years. I guess it's good but I'm still left wondering how well I really know you. Like, when did you get married?"

Chuck glanced down at his wedding band.

"A while ago. We recently went through a rough patch."

"Oh. Sorry man."

"We're working through it. She remembers what we had so we'll go from there. So, where's the boss?"

"A team from New York came here, the boss said he saw a panel they did at the conference a while ago and pushed for them to come here for a few days and lecture us on handler-CI relationships." The agent smiled and moved his hands excitedly as he spoke.

"Uh-huh." Chuck could probably give a lecture on handler-CI relationships. Well, handler-asset ones.

Then again, he broke the first rule when he fell in love with his handler and pursued a relationship with her.

"No, it's really cool! They brought in Neal Caffery and Peter Burke! Agent Burke is amazing."

"You sound like a schoolgirl with a crush," Chuck laughed. Unfortunately, that lead the younger agent to inform him of all of Agent Burke's successes and stories.

* * *

Chuck wasn't interested in meeting the famed FBI team from New York but he wanted to speak to the boss about being able to tell his wife about the work he did for the FBI. Usually agents didn't have to ask permission but, as he had been reminded a number of times, he was a special case.

So he walked right into that meeting without even looking at the people his boss was talking too.

In retrospect, that was mistake. His other mistake was to start speaking.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, boss, but I wanted to speak to you about something. Could you give me a little of your time?"

Silence filled the room, to be broken by a familiar voice questioning;

"Chuck?"

Chuck turned to look at the conman-agent duo and froze. His mouth dropped open even as his boss stood up and moved around to Chuck's side.

"Mr. Caffrey, this is Kevin. He's actually a pretty good techie and one of the best agents I have. Even though his work schedule is a little sporadic."

"Uh..." Chuck willed his voice to work. "Hi?"

The man he assumed was Neal Caffrey gave him a weak smile and a weak 'hi' back. The man's dark hair and blue eyes were familiar.

Goosebumps rippled over Chuck's body as he gazed upon what looked like Bryce's ghost.

Neal's gaze pierced him while he wasn't looking and glanced away whenever he was.

"And Kevin, this is Agent Burke, he's the guy who caught Neal the first time. Now they're a team!"

Chuck smiled as he shook Peter's hand. While Peter looked familiar, he was friendly and open. Chuck remembered all the rumours he heard about the man and added 'good at his job' to that list.

"Nice to meet you, Agent Burke."

"You too, Agent. Kevin, was it?"

"That's what everyone calls me." A misdirect. Chuck knew he was good at what others considered lying.

"Anyway, I need to talk to the Boss privately. Is that okay?"

"It's fine. Hey, you can give us the tour when you're done!"

Before Chuck could say why that was a horrible idea, his boss was saying what a great idea it was. Even Neal's mouth was slightly open in a silent protest as he and Agent Burke left the office. Chuck's boss locked the door and closed the blinds before addressing him.

"What brings you here, Kev? I'm sure you're not working today."

"No. I wanted to ask permission to tell my wife about this job."

"Hmm, I don't know, Kev. The CIA has been blind to this for a while and if they know, they're not acting on it. I'd rather you not send up a flag to watch this office."

"I promise you, sir, I will tell my wife in confidence and she will not breathe a word to the CIA." Although she might be angry with him for a while. A very long while.

"Alright," his boss relented. So, why wasn't Chuck happy? His boss was smiling. A smile which was rarely seen at work. "Since your wife will soon know about your employment with us, you will open your home to Agent Burke and Mr. Caffrey."

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no. That's a bad idea, a very bad idea." There were so many reasons that was a bad idea. Just because he was going to tell Sarah about the FBI, didn't mean she would appreciate him bringing home someone who looked exactly like Bryce.

"It saves money as Agent Burke isn't in a hotel and I can't think of anywhere more secure to put one of the world's most cunning conmen than a house filled with spies and agents."

"But-"

"No arguments, Kevin. Agent Burke and Neal Caffrey are going home with you."


	2. Second Part

**Second Part**

* * *

Chuck showed Agent Burke and Neal Caffrey around the office. He introduced them to the agents and showed them the conference room where they would be presenting.

Sometimes he got the feeling that someone was looking at him. He turned around to see no one besides Neal, who was touching and fiddling with everything.

"This place looks similar to the New York office," Neal commented as he walked around the conference room.

"Neal," Peter sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry about him, usually he possesses much more tact than this."

"Hey, I didn't say anything about what a bad idea for security that is," Neal responded with. Chuck flashed back to Stanford. Bryce had acted in much the same manner, dancing around an issue when he thought it was wrong but others accepted it as fact.

"Considering that most people rarely see the inside of one FBI office, let alone two, I don't see it as a fault in security at all."

"Except FBI agents," Neal countered with, "but I guess you trust all the agents who come through here? No secrets or lies among you?"

Chuck's mouth twisted up.

"It's the FBI, a federal criminal investigative, governmental organisation. We have operations from white collar crimes to counter-intelligence. Secrets are part of the package."

Neal shifted stance slightly.

"Is that a new view Mr...?"

"Just call me Kevin."

A throat cleared in the distance and both Neal and Chuck jolted before turning to Peter. They took a step away from each other, both wondering when they had stepped so close to almost be nose to nose.

"Excuse me," Peter said. "Agent Kevin, have you met Neal Caffrey before?"

"Uh, no?" Chuck responded, uncertain as to why Agent Burke was asking him that. He knew someone who looked like Neal Caffrey but hadn't met 'Neal Caffrey'.

"And you've never worked any cases where Caffrey was involved or suspected to be involved?"

"I don't think so."

Peter's head tilted and his hands dropped from his waist. The curious frown remained and Chuck wondered what the man was thinking.

What would Agent Burke think if Chuck explained that he thought his CI was a spy?

"Uh, by the way, my boss says you'll be staying at my place."

"In an apartment? Are you sure there'll be enough room?" Neal questioned with a raised eyebrow and frown.

"Oh no, I moved out a while back. My wife and I bought a house and we should be able to give you both a guest room during your stay."

Neal nodded and looked around again, picking up a pen from a nearby desk and fiddling with it. After a moment, he frowned and turned to Peter.

"Something wrong?" Neal asked Peter and Chuck wondered what had prompted the question. Peter's stance hadn't changed and his expression was still curious.

"Not at all," Peter responded, although the words didn't ring of truth.

"If you have any problem with staying at my place, I'm sure I can work something out with the boss," Chuck added, seeing a chance to not take these two home. It was a bit of a shame, Chuck liked Agent Burke and wanted to get to know him better.

But, Neal was going to be a problem.

"I think we'll be fine," Peter said and Chuck wondered if he imagined the way Neal tensed for a moment there.

* * *

Chuck showed them around the office and ended the tour at the desk he had. There were a few cases which he needed to consult on but nothing urgent. After all, the boss didn't know he was going to drop in today.

"This your desk?" Neal questioned, dropping into is seat and spinning it around a few times.

Peter gave Chuck the look he was beginning to translate as 'sorry about Neal being Neal'. It was somewhere between apologetic and annoyed. Although he had heard Peter scold Neal during lunch over how he was acting more childish than usual. Neal had refused to supply Peter with a reason for his actions.

But, in the same overhead conversation, Peter had made a good point. How had Neal known that Chuck had lived in an apartment? Chuck really didn't want to entertain the idea that Neal had some connection to Bryce but he really couldn't ignore the hints.

"Look, before we leave, can we talk?" Chuck said to Peter. He already knew that Neal would try and wriggle out of the conversation if it was directed at him. "There's just a few things you need to know before you meet my wife."

Chuck led them to a room where he had shut off the cameras. It was soundproof and private, plus he had already scanned it for bugs.

He stayed by the door and noticed the way Neal seemed a little like he was trapped in a cage, judging by the way his eyes darted around for a few moments and assessed their situation.

Chuck opened with;

"Look, my wife doesn't know I'm FBI."

"She doesn't?" Peter questioned with a frown.

"Why not?" Neal asked with a tilt of his head and a curious frown.

"It never came up," Chuck responded with a shrug. "Plus, she doesn't have a high opinion of the FBI."

Chuck noticed Neal nod, his expression softening.

"I'm confused," Peter said. He looked between Chuck and Neal. "I could understand her having a problem with it, if she knew. But, what kind of person has a problem with the FBI, if they're not a criminal?"

"The CIA," Chuck stated with Neal adding;

"The NSA and any other three letter organisation you can think of."

Peter frowned at Chuck.

"Okay. I think I'm starting to understand what's going on here. Neal, have you met Kevin's wife?"

"Not Kevin's wife, no."

Peter's frown suggested that he noticed the way Neal specified his answer.

"Have you met someone else who may be connected to Kevin?"

Neal's lack of an answer was enough for him. It was a confirmation that Neal somehow knew this guy.

"Dammit Neal," Peter sighed.

"It's not all Neal," Chuck was quick to say. "I feel that I do need to tell you that my name's not really Kevin as well as warn you that my wife is involved with the CIA and won't take kindly to two FBI people in the house." A pause and then he muttered, "especially since one looks a lot like Bryce."

"Bryce?" Peter questioned. He caught the look Chuck sent towards Neal and turned to face the conman. "What con did you pull on these people?"

"Not so much a con as a necessity," Neal responded, taking a step back from wrathful Peter. As wrathful a Peter as Peter could get when it didn't involve someone hurting others when he could have stopped it.

Chuck's face lit up in an 'ah-hah' expression as Neal gave himself away.

"Do I get to hold a needle to your face this time?" Chuck quipped.

Horror flashed across Peter's face but Neal smirked.

"Heh. I guess I've gone soft," he commented, stepping forward. "Peter, my real name isn't Neal Caffrey. It's actually Bryce. That's how I know Kevin here. His real name's Chuck. Well, Charles but no one calls him that."

"A few people do," Chuck corrected. "And at least my Boss knows my real name."

"You told the FBI about the CIA?"

"And the secrets you sent."

"When?" Neal was surprised that he had never caught this. How had it not occurred to him to investigate Chuck's past?

"Shortly after I met Sarah," Chuck responded, "by the time we found you, the FBI had altered my record here so that it was under the name Kevin. You wouldn't have found it."

Neal gave Chuck an annoyed look at his confidence.

"You don't know that."

"Okay, I'm not sure I understand what's going on here," Peter interrupted.

"Sit down Peter and we'll explain," Neal said. When Peter didn't move he added, "really, you'll want to be sitting for this."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Where Quinis promises delayed reactions to everything but then announces that she's not going to be able to post during the Easter season (family reunion stuff keeping her away from internet). As, she's taken to referring to herself in the third person...

 

**Third Part**

* * *

It was not what Peter was expecting. He knew that Neal Caffrey's real name was probably not that, but he wasn't expecting it to be Bryce Larkin nor was he expecting everything that came with that name.

A good agent and spy, a traitorous spy who was proven innocent long after he had been shot dead, a spy shot to his death for the second time by the real traitors and Chuck's friend.

"You really consider me a friend?" Neal asked Chuck in surprise when the other agent said that.

"Well, you are a douche," Chuck responded with a smile. "And you did turn my life upside-down. Twice. But, you're also the guy who insisted on using Klingon to confirm my identity. Even when I told you they were watching. Sarah was watching, Neal!"

Neal laughed while Peter filed away the Klingon comment for later.

"Oh, come on! I spoke it in front of her too! Before that day, she didn't even know I could speak it. It's not something that ever came up."

"Yeah, well, you already had your chance with her!"

"And is the ring on my finger?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Chuck took a step back.

"Okay, you win." Chuck turned to Peter. "Anyway, that's that. The only issue now is that I've got to tell my CIA wife that I've also been FBI the whole time I've known her. Any tips?"

"I'd say hide all the weapons, but this is Sarah we're talking about." Anything was a weapon in a trained agent's hands.

"I wasn't asking you," Chuck said to Neal.

Peter's mind when blank when Chuck looked to him for a response. Neal had to nudge him into speaking.

"I really don't know. I met my wife when the gallery she was working in was broken into. She knew right from the start that I was FBI."

"She was even able to spot the FBI resources he misappropriated to watch her."

"Neal!"

* * *

Sarah walked into the Buy More, expecting to see Chuck lounging behind the Nerd Herd counter.

Instead, Lester was there. The dark haired Canadian was bouncing his head to music and completely ignored her presence.

Sarah frowned and turned away. She could have easily have convinced him to tell her where Chuck was however, there was someone here who would have more information. She located him in the Home Entertainment area with a controller in his hands and eyes on the display TV as he played through the demo of a recently released game.

"Morgan."

Morgan hit the pause button and turned to face her. He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin as he greeted her;

"Sarah, what brings you to the Buy More this fine day?"

"Where's Chuck?"

Morgan blinked.

"Isn't he at home? He took the day off." Sarah towered over him as she checked his body for any sign of a lie. She found none.

"Casey?" she questioned, looking for a second opinion from the large, military-like man spying from the aisle next to them.

"I have no idea where Chuckles is," Casey said. Sarah pulled out her phone and checked the text Chuck has sent her.

"He said to meet him here," she explained, showing them the text. Morgan shook his head, saying it was the first time he had heard of that. Casey said that he wasn't Chuck's keeper but stuck close, curious to know what Chuck was up to now.

It wasn't long before they spotted Chuck walking through the entrance with two extra people in tow.

"Well, I'll be," Casey muttered at the sight of Bryce Larkin standing a little bit behind someone in a suit with a badge clipped to his belt. He breathed in. "Smells like FBI."

"No," Morgan said to Casey. "Why would Chuck be with the FBI?"

"Bet Larkin has something to do with that," Casey responded.

They watched as Sarah met them near the entrance, her stance tense, her hands on her hips and glaring at Bryce before glaring at her husband.

"What's going on, Chuck?" she asked in a clipped manner.

"Oh boy," Chuck sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"This is not good," Morgan said to Casey. "He knows whatever it is, it's going to make her angry. Think he just finished a mission without us?"

"No. Sarah would understand that. Whatever this is, it concerns that guy with Larkin."

Morgan nodded in agreement.

* * *

Chuck insisted that they move to the back room for this. Jeff made a comment about Chuck sneaking his girl in for some fun time and he leered as they entered.

"And what does he think we're here for?" Peter questioned in amazement as he and Neal followed.

"You really don't want to know," Chuck responded. He took a deep breath and turned to Sarah. She was still glaring at him and demanding answers. "Sarah, honey, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Peter Burke of the FBI and his consultant, Neal Caffrey."

"Amazingly enough Chuck, that's not an answer," she responded.

"It's an introduction," Neal said. Peter shot him a look, silently ordering him to stop talking. "Since Agent Kevin here is letting us stay with you while we're in Burbank."

"Neal," Peter groaned into his palm.

"'Agent Kevin'?" Sarah raised a sceptical eyebrow at Chuck and her voice was a borderline growl. She also shot Neal one of those looks. "And 'Neal Caffrey'?"

"That's right, ma'am." This time Peter gave Neal a light knock.

"I've never heard you speak that way, not even while you were on the run."

"What can I say, Peter? I have a whole 'nother life which you don't know about." Neal smirked annoyingly back.

"Actually, I would like to know how that 'Danny Brooks' story you fed me fits in," Peter responded to Neal's horror.

"Shutting up now."

"Agent Burke, could you explain? My husband and this ghost of my dead ex-boyfriend are terrible at it."

Peter flinched back as Sarah stepped towards him. Personality wise, she kind of reminded him of another Sara. Determined and strong-willed.

"I'm not the best person to explain but your husband is trying to say that he's been working at the FBI for a number of years now."

"Over seven years," Chuck muttered when Sarah turned to him. He couldn't look her in the eye.

"No, it's not a joke," Neal commented when she turned to him for confirmation. "I was shocked too. Apparently, he got kicked out of Stanford and landed himself in the FBI. Somehow. Did we mention that Peter and I will be staying with you guys?"

"You're not bring any rogue agents with you this time?" Sarah asked.

"I'm going to pretend I have no idea what you're talking about because Neal Caffrey hasn't met you before but, no. No rogue agents this time."

Sarah cursed and sighed, like she would have preferred for there to be rogue agents.

"Is that a 'yes'?" Chuck asked, hopeful.


	4. Chapter 4

**Fourth Part**

* * *

Peter ran through what he knew. The guy talking to him was John Casey, who everyone called Casey. He was a man of gruff words and in the right situation would shoot first and ask questions later. He also knew a lot about barbeques. Apparently, he sold them for the Buy More. And he used to work in Asset Protection with the NSA.

The blond woman chatting to Neal was Sarah Bartowski, nee Walker. Part of the CIA, her job these days was to run Carmichael Industries and keep Chuck's third job above water. She was the one who assigned missions.

The short man who explained about the CIA, NSA and missions was Morgan Grimes. First job, Buy More, second job, secret agent. His personality, Peter would describe as childish. He had a girlfriend in Casey's daughter which meant he had to have some respect in the team, according to Neal.

Chuck, which was Kevin's real name, worked three jobs. Buy More, for some reason, FBI and CIA as the founder of Carmichael Industries.

Neal, real name Bryce Larkin, was also a spy. He and Chuck knew each other from Stanford and Bryce was the reason Chuck joined the CIA.

Peter thought he had a good grip on the situation. He didn't like it, it was out there, but it seemed to be the truth.

He really wished they didn't have to prove it with a store-wide game of 'Gotcha'. Neal slipped into a crouch beside him, cursing Morgan for this.

"You seem serious about this," Peter commented.

"If I can't win, then they'll think I've been slacking off the past few years," Neal responded in a serious tone. He popped his head around the corner in an expert move and the gun was held with two hands near his chest.

Peter thought the action was wrong for 'Neal the conman' but he figured he was looking at 'Bryce the agent'.

"You haven't," Peter responded. Neal glanced back at him with a surprised look. For a moment, Peter saw the conman he knew in New York.

"Just so you know, Peter, Bryce is my real name. I prefer Neal though. It's classier."

"Classy," Peter stated in a monotone. Neal would pick a name because it was 'classy'.

And then there was a plastic dart on his forehead and he was looking at a very familiar conman smile.

"Sorry, Peter," Neal shrugged. "But you were my biggest competition next to Chuck."

Chuck was sitting by the Nerd Herd desk. Neal had shot him in the arm.

"He got you?" Chuck asked. Peter didn't need to ask who 'he' was.

"Started talking about his name and used it as a distraction to shoot me."

"Ah. He congratulated me on my marriage and mentioned a 'Sara' back in New York."

"Yeah, Neal dated her for a while. They broke up, I assume because Neal 'acquired' a treasure he shouldn't have had."

Chuck nodded as if this was interesting news. His eyes were glued to the monitor though, which was showing the store computer feed.

Casey took out Morgan while Morgan was distracted with sneaking up on Sarah. Casey was surprisingly taken out by Lester. The tall and accident-prone Skip had tripped into the bulky man, giving the short greasy-haired nerd a chance to take them both out.

Casey had growled and then returned to work, ignoring Skip's many apologies.

* * *

Peter considered himself to be an expert on Neal Caffrey. He reckoned it was the only reason he saw the flash of envy on Neal's face as Chuck pulled the Nerd Herder up to a quaint two-story home.

"You bought a house together?" Neal questioned, hiding his envy with surprise. Peter could see he was happy for Chuck, especially as Chuck enthusiastically explained something called 'Operation Toes' or 'Toes In The Sand; and don't abbreviate it'.

Mozzie had told Peter once that, somewhere deep inside, Neal wanted what Peter had. The wife and the house with the dog. Mozzie was saying in terms of what Neal wanted with Kate but Neal still wanted it. Kate's death had just made it so Neal couldn't see such a thing with anyone else.

"Alright, Chuck has convinced me that this is a good way of testing just how well protected our secrets are," Sarah said with crossed arms and a frown on her face as she let them in.

"Well, if they can find your armoury, then you're going to have to move it," Chuck pointed out.

"Maybe I'll move it to wherever you keep those ugly suits," Sarah responded.

"Hey!"

"It is ugly," Neal said. "Chuck, FBI chic is never in."

"It's in when you're spending the day at the FBI," Chuck pointed out.

Neal thought about that for a moment and then muttered 'maybe for you'.

* * *

Peter pulled an air mattress into the guest room Neal had been assigned. Neal looked up from the bed and narrowed his eyes.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Nope," Peter said with a smile. He loved being the cause of the annoyed expression on Neal's face. "It's regulation, Neal. You're in my custody so I'm staying the same room as you."

"You know I'm an agent, right?" Neal pointed out with a curious frown.

"Then think of it as part of your cover, either way, I'm sleeping here." On 'here' he grunted as he finally dropped the mattress on the floor, next to the bed.

To get out of the room, Neal would either have to climb out the window, which was a possibility actually, or jump over the mattress.

Peter pulled out a plastic bag and showed it to Neal.

"Wow. Cheap beer, wine and plastic glasses," Neal observed dully, "how sophisticated, Agent Burke."

"Cute, Agent Larkin. But, I remember a time we drunk and talked until sunrise. Now, I want to do the same thing but the truth this time."

"The truth?"

"About who Neal Caffrey is. And Bryce Larkin."

Neal examined him for a few moments. His face was curious as Peter pulled out the bottles and unscrewed the cap on the wine.

"I can't talk about my work with the CIA, it's classified."

Peter took a swig of beer to keep from commenting about how not everything was about work.

"Tell me about yourself, not the agent. You. And you can ask me questions as well."

It took a few moments for that to sink in. Peter could see the moment it registered in Neal's brain, his eyes widened a little in surprise.

"Oh."

"Now, wine, talk and then maybe I won't kick you out when I call to say goodnight to my wife."

Neal started with his childhood. No, his dad was not a cop. He did work with cops as he did the taxes for the local police department. Bryce heard a lot of stories when he was younger. He also remembered learning about death when one of his favourite officers didn't come for his taxes one year.

"Died a hero?" Peter questioned with a sad frown, thinking about how that must have been shattering for a young kid.

"Yeah, in a shootout." Neal got a wistful look on his face. "Dad was glad when I announced that I got a job as an accountant. He had tried to keep me off the path to become a police officer. He didn't know it was only a cover." Peter winced and Neal spotted it. "Dad didn't want me to have a job where I risked my life. So, nothing special there."

Peter thought there was a lot there. Neal, or Bryce, had a family. A proper family. He had wanted to be a cop when he grew up, which matched with what Peter already knew about Neal.

"And Ellen?"

"She had been engaged to the cop who died as well as an officer herself. She gathered evidence and was able to put some powerful people away but ended up in witness protection as a result. I didn't see her for years." There was an amused smirk on Neal's face.

"I'll bite. How did you two meet again?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Fifth Part**

* * *

One of Bryce's assignments involved getting information out of someone in WITSEC. For that reason, the CIA had offered him up as Asset Protection. Bryce had taken the assignment, without realising that he knew the person who was listed in the file as 'E Parker'.

He had been shocked when 'Ellen' had opened the door.

* * *

"So what happened?"

"She recognised me, of course. And threatened to call my parents if I didn't explain why I was there. In her words, 'I thought there was no way a lad like yourself would ever be an accountant'. Personally I thought she was being slightly rude to accountants."

"Keep going with the story."

"That's really kind of it though. She gave me the information I needed and might I say, easiest mission ever, and we created ways to keep in contact. When I went 'Neal Caffrey' she insisted in writing herself into his history." Neal frowned into his wine glass.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked when he didn't say anything.

"I was just thinking; she was probably living vicariously through me and took the chance to be mentioned in CIA missions. Even if it was only in the cover."

"So, all of this," Peter waved his hand at Neal, indicating Neal Caffrey's appearance and mannerisms. "Is just a cover?"

"Yes and no."

"There are no straight answers from you, are there?"

"No and yes." Neal smirked while Peter sighed. However, there was a smile on Peter's face.

"You know how it is with a cover. They give you the basics, it's up to you to sell it. I'm Neal Caffrey. Alleged gentlemen thief."

"Convicted bond forger."

Neal waved off the correction.

* * *

Peter thought he should be mad. Back when Chuck and Neal first started explaining that Neal wasn't really Neal, he had been. Neal had lied to him! But, as the day went on, he realised that he didn't feel angry anymore. It just wasn't something he was going to be mad about. Curious, yes. Mad, not really.

He was slightly relieved to learn that Neal wasn't completely a criminal. But, it didn't change the level of attention he would have to pay to his CI. Bryce lied just as easily as Neal had and was probably even sneakier. Peter would have to pay attention, like usual.

His CI had called himself a 'gentleman thief'. Peter really didn't approve of that, the same way he didn't approve of Neal's attraction to crime.

Neal, or Bryce, appeared to be nonchalant about the whole thing. Peter couldn't help but feel that way about it too.

* * *

Chuck twisted his head back. Again, the view of his wife's back. He sighed and turned back. They were lying back to back, not touching, the very picture of a feuding husband and wife.

"I'm sorry," he said again, for the tenth time that night.

"Why'd you do it, Chuck? Why did you lie?" Sarah was upset. She had never thought that Chuck would keep things from her. Let alone keep his other job a secret the whole time she knew him.

What kind of spy doesn't have the slightest suspicion that their husband has a whole other life? It hurt. It hurt more than Sarah thought it could. Her chest was tight and her eyes felt like they would be tearing up at the slightest thought of her memories of Chuck. She felt like a useless wife and a horrible spy and she hated how he made her feel like this.

"Sorry." Eleven apologies. "I just, you all thought I was a useless guy working in a Buy More. I didn't think I'd have the slightest chance of dealing with you, the CIA and NSA and the Intersect if you knew I was FBI. I needed something up my sleeve. Plus, you know how Casey feels about the FBI. Bryce didn't even know, the FBI wanted to keep the secret and there just wasn't a good time to tell you. But I was going to tell you, I went today to ask permission but Bryce was there and-"

Sarah found herself smiling as Chuck talked. She could see how he could have ended up having this secret and she wondered if he really was going to tell her or if it was just a lie to make her feel better however, she knew that this was pure Chuck. Worried about her feelings, not even realising how he was putting himself down and saying as much as he could as if more words meant he would get his meaning across. She found herself remembering the amazing things Chuck had did but, Chuck didn't see as amazing.

"Chuck," Sarah said, "you're rambling."

"Sorry."

Sarah twisted around to see his worried pout. His brown eyes were intently focused on her, his mouth a small frown and his eyebrows knitted and downcast.

"What would you do to make it up to me?" she asked interested in how badly he rated his actions.

"Anything!" Chuck burst out. Excitement at the thought of being forgiven flashed on his face before he sobered. "Except quitting. I like my job with the FBI, Sarah."

"Let me guess, because you can help people," she said softly before he could.

Chuck nodded.

"I know you probably don't like the FBI but, they take different cases to the CIA."

"What division are you in?" Sarah asked.

Chuck took a moment to clear his throat before responding.

"White Collar. I used to work Cyber Crimes but when I went back to the Buy More, they transferred me. Cyber Crimes has the worst hours."

Sarah stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"It's not funny, Sarah!"

"White Collar? What do you even do?"

"Hey!" Chuck whined, "I'm good at my job! And, and their vans are safer than yours!"

It was such an odd statement that Sarah started laughing.

* * *

The next morning, Chuck was woken by his phone going off. He opened one blurry eye and sighed when he recognised the number.

"Yes, Boss?"

"Ah, Kevin! How was Caffrey? I hope there were no problems, I need him and Agent Burke in top spirits today."

"'Top spirits'?" Chuck questioned. "What for?"

"Why the lecture on handler-CI relationships, of course! There are a few agents in the office looking to create a Burke-Caffrey agreement. We're all chasing those high percentages, Kev!"

"Okay." Chuck had a feeling that the high percentage success rate was probably because of the people who made up the team. Would it even be possible to emulate such an odd agreement?

"Also, I assume you've informed your wife about this job?"

"Yes."

"Good. Because I require your presence in the office today."

"Alright," Chuck said before hanging up. He shot Morgan a text, saying that he wasn't coming into work today and asking Morgan to cover his shift.

The bed was warm and his wife was cuddled up against him however, Chuck needed to get up. Just as he sat up, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming in, so I hope you're both fully clothed!" Neal said in a chipper voice as he opened the door. He walked in with a tray of toast, bowls and cereal.

"Still can't cook a breakfast in bed?" Sarah asked, having woken up fully at the intrusion.

"Well, Chuck's our lift into work so Peter asked me to wake him up. And no, this is closest to breakfast in bed I get." Neal placed the tray on the bed and took a slice of toast for himself.

"I did not ask you to wake them up," Peter said from the doorway. He stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "I asked you where you were going with that tray."

"Huh. I must have heard wrong." Neal shot them a blinding smile. "I'll see you downstairs then."


	6. Sixth Part

**Sixth Part**

* * *

The car ride was quiet. No one really wanted to talk and Neal was sitting in the back seat, away from the radio buttons. Neal found his eyes dropping to the anklet. He was the CIA eyes in the FBI. But, Chuck was also both CIA and FBI.

Was Neal Caffrey necessary when Chuck could play his role? But, no. Bryce couldn't think like that. It would mean giving up Mozzie, the White Collar office and the rest of his life in New York. It wasn't perfect but it was good, the best his life had been since the mess with the Intersect.

Besides, if the CIA knew that Chuck could get them into the FBI, they would never let him go. Chuck already had a hard enough time shaking the CIA during the numerous Intersect fiascos.

Peter found himself wondering how they were going to give this talk. It was supposed to be the same one from the conference but that had been a mess. Everything which had been going on at the time had almost ruined the panel. They had been worried about corporate spies, the theft of a multimillion dollar, next-gen, bullet proof vest which had turned into the attempted kidnapping of a brilliant mind plus all the nonsense with… wait.

"Neal, question. Who is James Bennett or Sam Phelps or whatever?"

"Uh, you're not going to like this. He's actually Sam Phelps."

Peter knew there was one thing wrong with that. Neal was right, Peter already didn't like this.

"Samuel Phelps is dead."

Chuck winced, his hands tensing on the steering wheel.

"Did you see a body?" he asked.

"Didn't need to. Neal managed to get some of his blood, confirming that our guy was not Sam Phelps." Peter paused for a moment as realisation hit. "Neal, what did you do to the blood sample?"

"Nothing. I altered the results."

"So, you knew before I called you?" Neal silently nodded and Peter spotted it in the rear-view mirror. "Why?"

"Sam Phelps was recruited during his time in the DC police force. He was feeding information to a number of arms dealers throughout the world. Guns, money, secrets; he worked with them all. He faked his death to avoid the CIA however, used his name when contacting Ellen. He probably didn't know that Ellen knew me. The CIA was hoping to trap him when they met."

"But Ellen died," Peter stated. "Or did she also fake it?"

Neal frowned and curled up a little, his hands clenching on his thighs and his head bowed.

"I wish she had. Somehow, Sam got through. He managed to kill her. So, I set up myself as the bait. I conned you to get a hold of Ellen's case. And we found Sam's email."

Peter nodded, he remembered that. Neal had sent the man a message 'We'll meet on your terms'.

"Well, after we sent him a message, I sent him another one. I told him who I was; Neal Caffrey, convicted criminal with the FBI, and made him a deal. I would convince the FBI he was someone else, which would allow him to get away with murder."

"You wanted to convince the FBI he was someone else? Why? Why not just hand him over?" Chuck questioned. The driver was completely engrossed in the tale. It wasn't often he got to hear stories about Bryce in action.

"And why did he go with it?" Peter asked.

"He went with it because I implied that I wanted to find Ellen's killer and I didn't think he was it. And I didn't chose James Bennett. The CIA did. Because James Bennett wasn't James Bennett's real name and information on that mission is classified so I don't even know who he really was or why he was undercover."

"So, did you get him?" Chuck asked.

Peter and Neal flinched in unison.

"That's a no then," Chuck guessed.

"We did manage to tie up some of James' loose ends. However, Sam is starting to get suspicious. Plus, he thinks Ellen hid away some evidence on him. Now, I'm not one to say 'crazy' but…"

Peter turned back to look at Neal. That last sentence sounded off for the person he knew. Neal shot him a soft smile.

"Sorry, sounding like Bryce again."

Peter shook his head.

"I have no idea how you keep it all straight."

* * *

They arrived at the FBI building in good spirits. Neal reminded them both that the FBI wasn't to know about who he really was or who he really worked for.

Chuck agreed readily and Peter agreed a little more reluctantly. However, Peter was in a new office without the agents he knew and trusted. He wasn't about to put his partner at risk.

"Hey, Kev! Still have your silverware?" one of the agents called out as they walked past.

Peter frowned and Neal grabbed his shoulder before he could give the agent a verbal dressing down.

"We're not in New York," Neal reminded him.

"That doesn't matter. They should at least act civilly," Peter growled.

"Kevin! Babysitting again?" another of the agents said.

Neither comment had been said unkindly but they could sense hidden barbs. Especially when Chuck flinched at the last comment.

"It wasn't babysitting. That kid was a computer genius."

"Still a kid," the second agent said. "And the van smelled like wet dog for days."

"Wow, you can actually tell the difference?" Neal said before anyone could stop him. He injected a lot of face enthusiasm into his voice. "To me, all FBI vans smell of wet dog."

"Br-Neal!" Chuck gasped.

"Aren't you supposed to be some legendary conman?" the first agent questioned, "because I'm not feeling it."

"The best con a conman can pull is to make you forget he's a conman," Peter said, standing tall and stepping between his group and the agents. "Now, get back to work."

"Wow. How do you do that?" Chuck asked, following Peter and Neal to where the conference room was.

"He's Peter," Neal said with a shrug by way of explanation. "He has that commanding presence people respond to."

"That must be nice," Chuck sighed. He could command but only people who worked with him often really listened. He had been written off more than a few times.

"Hey, you're a spy. You're not supposed to be commanding. You're supposed to be sneaky."

As if on cue, Chuck bumped into a table and knocked pencils to the ground. Chuck and Neal locked eyes, Chuck giving him a pathetic look and Neal's eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Sometimes, you're a terrible friend," Chuck commented when Neal snickered.

"Getting along? Good." Chuck's boss walked over with a smile on his face.

"We're doing just fine," Chuck said. The boss nodded at him before turning to Peter.

"Agent Burke, if we could talk about the panel you and Mr. Caffrey will be presenting."

"Of course," Peter said, shooting Neal a look. The slanted eyebrows and wide eyes said, 'don't do anything stupid while I'm gone'.

* * *

Most of the agents ignored Kevin's desk, although there were a few who spoke regularly to the quiet young man who sat there.

However, it was impossible to ignore today. Kevin sat there, smiling and chatting away with a famous conman.

"I didn't know you could be so protective!" Kevin laughed at Caffrey. Caffrey was seated on Kevin's desk, after having searched through all his desk drawers for 'fun'.

"What do you mean?" Caffrey asked nonchalantly.

"Don't lie. You spoke up to protect me." Chuck was referring to earlier, when the two agents were making comments towards him. "You shouldn't have, they didn't mean any harm."

"No. They didn't  _see_  that they were causing you harm," Caffrey responded, "and so I stepped in."

"See, protective."

"I can't believe you're only realising this now."

"I guess I should have realised back when..." Kevin trailed off and looked around. He lowered his voice and only Neal heard the next part, "back when you got me kicked out of Stanford."

"Yep," Caffrey responded with a smile and a nod. "Although, you could give me a run for my money." Casey had told Neal about the time Chuck had flown in a bunch of Russians in order to checkmate Decker of the CIA and save Sarah's life.

Neal didn't think he could do that. For one thing, he never would have been gifted with Russian soldiers. There was just something about people like Peter and Chuck; something which made others want to help them.

* * *

The panel was due to start around lunchtime. Peter and Neal had spent most of the trip there trying to decide on what to talk about. With the revelation that Neal was also Bryce Larkin of the CIA, they had another talk during the night about whether they stick with the original plan.

Neal didn't see a problem with it. Talking about faith and their first case together didn't seem like a bad idea. Peter still wanted to add another case in and they had a bit of trouble deciding which one.

Peter was advocating the addition of the case where they caught The Architect. It had undercover Neal, bank robberies, maths and Peter and Neal working together.


	7. Seventh Part

**Seventh Part**

* * *

Chuck didn't want to go to the panel. He had already been in the office more often in the past few days than he usually managed in a month. He was a 'get your job/mission/case/whatever and go' kind of guy, not a 'sit around and listen to others' kind of guy.

His boss insisted that since he was there, he should go. Chuck didn't share his view. However, inconveniencing himself wasn't a good reason to ignore what his boss had asked.

Chuck picked a chair down the back. He watched as Peter and Neal bounced off each other and smiled as he thought they made a good detective team.

"Hey, Kev."

Chuck smiled politely as the agent across from his desk sat down. He looked sheepish as he smiled back.

"Sorry about earlier. We've all had bum assignments from time to time. Probably shouldn't have made a joke of yours."

"Just don't disguise the van as a travelling dog washer again and we'll be good," Chuck responded.

It took a moment for his comment to click but when it did, the agent laughed. The agent, Jackson, waved over the other person who shared a desk nearby.

Olivia slipped into the seat on Chuck's other side and Jackson pouted.

"Why? I saved you a seat."

"Because Kevin's actually going to listen to this panel and you're not."

"Heeey! I'm totally going to listen! It's being presented by Special Agent Peter Burke. Who doesn't want to hear what he has to say?"

"Fine. Let me rephrase. You're going to spend the entire thing whispering to the person next to you about Agent Burke. I don't want commentary."

"I don't mind commentary," Chuck commented.

"And that's why I'm sitting next to you," both agents said at once before glaring at each other.

Chuck settled back as the panel started, lightly awed by how Olivia and Jackson could work together. Somehow, while the two bickered constantly, they had the second highest closure rate in the office.

Peter and Neal played off each other well. They spoke about Hagen's signature on the bonds he forged and how they knew to find it. They also spoke about the Architect.

"So, taking into account the size of the briefcases..."

"And the denomination of the notes stolen..."

"We were able to figure out that there was a significant amount of missing money unaccounted for."

"Enough for a share."

"All we had to do was track down someone connected to the bank who would have a motive."

"Yeah, that wasn't so fun."

"Hm? I thought you liked a good con, Neal?"

"I do. However, I don't like having guns pointed at me or ink staining my hands."

"However, your idea to use the ink to stun and blind her was a good plan."

"You're only saying that because you didn't get any on your hands. Only on those horrible FBI suits you like so much."

"Hey!"

* * *

Chuck smiled as he watched Neal and Peter interact. It hit him with nostalgia from his time at Stanford. Neal Caffrey acted more like Bryce Larkin from back then, before Chuck was kicked out. Not at all like the Bryce he had interacted with during him time with the CIA. The panel ended and he hung around, waiting for the agents to finish asking questions of the presenters.

"Hey, Kevin! Come listen to this," Jackson called. "Caffrey's telling us about this job he pulled in order to save a girl's life!"

"What job?" Chuck questioned as he walked over. He shot a glance at Neal, who actually looked sheepish about the whole thing. It was surprising how Bryce could thrive in negative attention from people but got all shy and quiet when being praised for doing something other's saw as 'good'.

"Well, there was a kidnapped girl and Agent Rice handed me over as the ransom which placed me in the hands of someone who wanted me dead. Not a nice guy. He forced me to do jobs for him in exchange for keeping her alive. Anyway, I kept buying time and managed to contact Peter as well." Neal shifted a little to the side, as he always did when he was nervous and not trying to hide it.

"I heard about that," Olivia said. "Didn't Agent Rice take the credit?"

"We told her to," Neal said quickly. "It's not a good idea for me to be advertising my relationship with the FBI."

"True," Jackson nodded in agreement.

Peter caught Neal's 'help me' look and decided to do as requested. He extracted Neal from the excited agents and had Kevin guide them back to work.

"Alright, they're all at their desks and the boss looks happy in his office," Chuck commented when he returned.

"Good," Peter stated.

Neal breathed a sigh of relief.

"No offence, Kevin, but your office is... over-enthusiastic."

Chuck took a moment for the weirdness of Bryce calling him 'Kevin' to sink in and another moment to wonder if this was how Bryce felt when he called him 'Neal'.

"They're not bad," he said.

"I didn't say that."

"I think most of the young agents choose to come here," Peter explained. "And older agents who are looking to retire soon. That's why they're 'over-enthusiastic'. They're just starting out and are eager to learn and prove themselves."

"Huh. I remember what that was like," Neal muttered. Two sets of eyes stared at him. "What?"

"I don't know whether it's surprising or scary but, I keep forgetting about that side of you," Peter said, coding their talk enough that if someone was listening, they wouldn't completely understand.

"I just can't imagine you being an over-enthusiastic and eager agent."

"Well, it burnt off quick enough," Neal said flippantly. "Around about the time I needed to betray my friend in order to keep him safe." He shot Chuck an interested look. "How long did your eagerness of being an FBI agent take to wear off?"

"Well, I got into this job by a fluke. They sent me to Quantico, which was pretty gruelling but still cool. Hmm, I would say the eagerness actually vanished when I had to juggle working here and at the Buy More. The Boss didn't really get why I needed to have a second job but, Morgan had begged for me to help out."

"Did Morgan know you were working for the FBI at the time?" Neal asked.

Chuck looked away and bit his lower lip.

"Does Morgan even know?" Peter asked, recalling the small man from the Buy More.

"Not unless Sarah told him," Chuck said slowly. They had told Sarah in the back room and had explained Peter's presence as part of Bryce's CIA mission.

Chuck didn't mention his other job around Casey or Morgan.

Neal let out an impressed whistle.

"Keeping it a secret must have been hard." Chuck shifted nervously. "What?"

"Actually, it was kind of okay. Neither the Buy More or the CIA thought I would work for a government organisation."

"Why does the Buy More matter?" Peter asked.

Chuck's response was swift and straightforward.

"You would not believe the amount of information I can get out of my coworkers. They're like an army of CIs. Not that they know that."

"That's... almost evil," Neal commented with a smirk. Peter gave him a disapproving look.

"Nah. I don't sell them out for some of the petty crimes they commit. Like the hours of pirated DVDs Lester has or the ripped games of Morgan's. I did have to report Jeff's... uh... collection. Agent Banks arrested him and confiscated tens of thousands of dollars worth of illegally imported and messed up porn. Trust me, that was doing the world a favour. He got off lightly because he wasn't mentally sound back then."

"I wouldn't call piracy a 'petty' crime," Peter muttered.

"Then just pretend you didn't hear that," Neal said, "like how you pretend I don't bend the law sometimes to help you solve your cases."

"Neal, I actively discourage you from doing that! And then you go off and do it anyway!"

"Yeah, he has a listening problem. And an explaining problem," Chuck said to Peter. Peter nodded in agreement.

"Hey!"

"Man, you once held a needle to my neck, used me as a hostage and didn't tell me until we were on the elevator, escaping!"

"Three words Neal: Stolen Nazi treasure."

To Peter, Neal defended that Mozzie had been the one behind that and the CIA thought that telling Peter about the treasure would cause more harm than good.

"And I went against my instructions when El was taken!"

To Chuck, Neal rhetorically questioned why he kept bringing that up and that he had kind of been in a tough spot, what with the Ring trying to capture him and everything.

And then he sulked and went to hang out with Agent Jackson. At least he was going to leave for his regular afternoon coffee soon; perhaps he could be persuaded to get one for Neal as well.


	8. Eighth Part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: This is the eighth and final part of this story. I wrote this without a plan and just from the little idea that both Bryce and Chuck had FBI identities.

**Eighth Part**

* * *

During the night, there was a bang from downstairs. Peter opened his eyes, spotting movement out of his eye as Neal pulled out a gun from under his air mattress pillow and rolled into a kneeling position with gun ready.

Peter's own gun was in the bedside table, top drawer. He got it out and shared a look with his partner. Neal held a finger to his lips and crept to the door, opening it a crack.

Chuck was there a moment later, Sarah by his side. They were both armed. Neal's eyebrows rose at the sight of a gun in Chuck's hands.

"I am an FBI agent," Chuck whispered back.

"I still can't believe you hid your service weapon from me," Sarah growled.

"Sorry, honey."

"Let's go," Peter said, reminding them of the situation.

Chuck and Sarah nodded and the four crept down the hall, towards the stairs. There was another clutter and a hushed voice.

"Alright, weapons of death away," Chuck sighed, holstering his gun. He received confused looks. "Morgan?" he called out.

A dark head popped out from around the corner. In his mouth was a spoon of ice-cream, the tub in his hands.

"Morgan Grimes?" Bryce gasped, his expression not amused.

"Oh, forgot you were here," Morgan grumbled in Neal's direction.

"Our flight is tomorrow," Peter pointed out.

"Morgan, what are you doing here?" Sarah demanded to know. Morgan spooned some ice-cream into his mouth.

"I had a fight with Alex."

Sarah gave Chuck a look then announced that she was going back to bed.

"This is your problem," Neal said to Chuck, going back up the stairs.

* * *

Morgan sat at the kitchen table, munching on ice-cream. Chuck sat across from him, gun on the table next to him and looking tired.

"Morgan, it's the middle of the night. Why are you here?"

"I told you, I had a fight with Alex."

"Details, Morgan!"

"What's with the gun?" Morgan asked, changing the subject.

"It's my FBI gun."

"So, you don't have a gun as a spy, but as an agent you carry one around? Sorry Chuck, that doesn't make any sense."

"I'm required to have one as FBI and I can count the number of times I've fired it on one hand. Now, your turn. What happened with Alex and how can I help you make up for it?"

Morgan raised an eyebrow and commented, "how do you know I did something?"

"Aside from you eating ice-cream at my house in the middle of the night? Come on, Morgan."

Morgan groaned and spooned more ice-cream into his mouth.

* * *

Neal paused at the entrance to the kitchen. Morgan was sitting at the table, sloppily pouring milk over sugary cereal.

"He's still here?" he questioned in a grumble.

"Yep. You're really grumpy without coffee," Morgan responded with a smile. "By the way, what's better: world-class conman or spy?"

"Why?" Neal snarked back, "thinking of being a con? You know it's more than waving your hand and going 'these are not the droids you are looking for'."

"Well, I'll do a better job than you. I won't get arrested."

"Ha! Seriously? You'll be arrested a week after your first attempt, if you last that long."

"Wanna bet?"

"No!" Chuck spoke up. "No bets! No cons! And no one at this table gets arrested!"

"Couldn't have said that better myself," Peter agreed, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I think they're friends," Neal whispered to Morgan. Morgan nodded in agreement.

Chuck and Peter shared a look. They weren't the only ones who appeared to be friends. As if to prove their unspoken point, Neal asked Morgan what happened with Alex and gave some suggestions on how to help.

"Neal is a hopeless romantic," Peter sighed to both Chuck and Morgan.

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Chuck responded, recalling Sarah's past relationship with Bryce. The guy was excitement, romance and good looks all bundled into one.

"I don't know whether to be proud of that or not," Neal mused.

* * *

Chuck drove Peter and Neal to the airport as Kevin. He wore the FBI suit, the gun and the badge around his neck since this was part of his office duties.

"Hey, Kevin," Neal said, "ever thought about coming to the New York office?"

"Ha! My wife would shoot me. She's not as fond of the city as you are."

Neal frowned at that. He didn't want this to be goodbye, he actually liked seeing Chuck.

"You could come for a visit. A conference or something. I'm sure I can find some way to spin it. For a few days at least," Peter said. "It'd be good experience."

"I'll think about it. Might be a good idea for you guys to have some backup up there. Just in case."

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Peter mused, giving Neal a pointed look.

"Don't worry about it," Chuck said. He pulled the black FBI issued vehicle up at the airport. "And don't let the CIA know about Kevin."

Peter gave him a confused look which Neal saw and understood.

"It means it's Kevin we met, not Chuck," he explained. "Kevin with the name Kevin, with his blond wife, odd friends and a house in the suburbs. He's the only one in the house with a gun and that's the only weapon in there. No spies, no CIA, and we don't mention anyone named 'Chuck'."

"Neal, I know how being undercover works."

"Even though it's not technically being undercover?"

"I'm going to pretend it is, for the sake of my sanity." Although Peter didn't mention Bryce Larkin, Neal had the feeling that it applied to him too. Peter was going to pretend that hadn't happened, for Neal's sake.

* * *

The plane landed and to their surprise, El was waiting for them. She and Peter shared a kiss and then she looked between them.

"How was it?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Uneventful," Peter said.

"Maybe for you. I think there may be hope for the FBI yet," Neal said with his Caffrey grin.

"Right. Are we talking about when I had to extract you from the young agents who had you surrounded with their questions?"

"Quiet, Peter. They loved me!"

El laughed and they walked out to the care.

"Hey, I know a great little coffee shop!" Neal said to her. "Can we stop there before you drop me off at June's?"

Peter took the car keys from his wife's hands.

"Not happening, Caffrey. I'm driving."

Neal's body language openly displayed his disappointment.

* * *

Kevin was working alone at his desk with the lift doors opened and a blond came strutting out like it was a catwalk and not the FBI.

"Honey!" he gasped as she came closer. "What-why are you here?" he stammered.

"I'm here because we have a lunch date silly," she said, the right mix of seductive and babe that Kevin realised they probably had a mission waiting for him. Something time sensitive if his wife had come into the office.

"Kevin!" his Boss gave him the two finger point. "Take your lady out to lunch. I'll see you when you get back."

"Yessir!" Kevin called back, quickly hurrying her back the way she came.

"What are you doing here?" Chuck questioned again, once they were outside of the building.

"Beckman called," Sarah responded with a smile. "And I wanted to see your other work. Now, come on, the van's around the corner."


End file.
